New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday announced a new 18-km railway line between Rajpura and Mohali in Punjab, at an estimated cost of ₹443 crore. He also proposed a new Vande Bharat train to connect Firozpur Cantt, Bhatinda, Patiala, and Delhi.
Vaishnaw underlined the significant rise in railway investment in Punjab, noting that it has grown from just ₹225 crore during 2009–14 to ₹5,421 crore today. He credited Minister of State Ravneet Bittu for playing a crucial role in the project’s development, saying Bittu “deserves full credit” for the progress.
A day before this announcement, the Union Minister had taken aim at the Opposition over its criticism of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Vaishnaw said industries and MSMEs faced “tax terror” during the UPA government, which was replaced by a simpler and unified GST framework under the Modi government.
“Under the UPA, there was a tax terror on industries and MSMEs. The web of several taxes was unified into GST. When GST was widely accepted, the next-generation reforms were brought in. Step by step, the nation has reached a good position,” Vaishnaw said. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Finance Minister for pushing forward reforms.
The minister highlighted that tax rates on several household items have been significantly reduced compared to the UPA era. Cement, once taxed at 30%, now stands at 18%. Sanitary pads, earlier taxed at 13%, are now exempt. Taxes on paint have dropped from 30% to 18%, while footwear is taxed at 5%, down from 18% under the UPA.
“The Opposition is unhappy. In their time, there were only talks and no work. Today, people are actually experiencing relief,” he said, recalling his recent interaction with shoppers at a market in RK Puram who expressed satisfaction with GST benefits.
